I agree guys, the 8 wt in the Helios and. Helios 2 is an astoundingly light in hand and capable rod. It really feels like you're casting a 6, yet is more than capable of unloading an entire 8 weight line (in hands more capable than mine at least!) and handling large fish. I landed a couple of Mekong catfish in the 40 pound range, and exerted tremendous pressure for about an hour on each fish without fracturing mine. Hard to find a better 8 weight in my opinion.